𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃

Gothic

FWOTD – 22 April 2017

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *midjagardaz (“Middle Earth”). Akin to Old English middangeard, Old Saxon middilgard, Old High German mittilgart, Old Norse Miðgarðr. Not exactly equivalent to 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌹𐍃 (midjis, “middle”) +‎ 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃 (gards, “yard”); the initial element is possibly rather a variant of 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌿𐌼𐌰 (miduma) or a suffixed form of 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌹𐍃 (midjis).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmid.junˌɡards/, [ˈmið.junˌɡards]

Noun

𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃 • (midjungards) m

2. the inhabited world, ecumene
   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 2.1:

     𐍅𐌰𐍂𐌸 𐌸𐌰𐌽 𐌹𐌽 𐌳𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌾𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌰𐌽𐍃, 𐌿𐍂𐍂𐌰𐌽𐌽 𐌲𐌰𐌲𐍂𐌴𐍆𐍄𐍃 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌼 𐌺𐌰𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌰 𐌰𐌲𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌿, 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌾𐌰𐌽 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳.

     warþ þan in dagans jainans, urrann gagrēfts fram kaisara agustau, gamēljan allana midjungard.

     Now in those days a decree went out from [the emperor] Caesar Augustus, that all the inhabited world (the Roman Empire) should be registered […] . (AMP)

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Gospel of Luke (Codex Argenteus) 4.5:

     𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌿𐌷𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃 𐌹𐌽𐌰 𐌳𐌹𐌰𐌱𐌿𐌻𐌰𐌿𐍃 𐌰𐌽𐌰 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌲𐌿𐌽𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌷𐌰𐍄𐌰, 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌿𐌲𐌹𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐌼𐌼𐌰 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌽𐌰𐍃𐍃𐌿𐌽𐍃 𐌸𐌹𐍃 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌹𐍃 𐌹𐌽 𐍃𐍄𐌹𐌺𐌰 𐌼𐌴𐌻𐌹𐍃.

     jah ustiuhands ina diabulaus ana fairguni hauhata, ataugida imma allans þiudinassuns þis midjungardis in stika mēlis.

     Then he led Jesus up [to a high mountain] and displayed before Him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth […] in the twinkling of an eye. (AMP)

   • 4th Century, Wulfila (tr.), Gothic Bible: Epistle to the Romans (Codex Ambrosianus A) 10.18:

     𐌰𐌺𐌴𐌹 𐌵𐌹𐌸𐌰: 𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌹 𐌽𐌹 𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌹𐌳𐌴𐌳𐌿𐌽? 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌹𐍃: 𐌰𐌽𐌳 𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌰 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰 𐌲𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌹𐌸 𐌳𐍂𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌿𐍃 𐌹𐌶𐌴 𐌾𐌰𐌷 𐌰𐌽𐌳 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹𐌽𐍃 𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌹𐍃 𐍅𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌳𐌰 𐌹𐌶𐌴.

     akei qiþa: ibai ni hausidēdun? raihtis: and alla airþa galaiþ drunjus izē jah and andins midjungardis waurda izē.

     But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world. (KJV)

Usage notes

This word only translates οἰκουμένη (oikouménē, “the inhabited world, the known world”), while κόσμος (kósmos, “order, world”) is translated by either 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌴𐌸𐍃 (manasēþs) or 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌿𐍃 (fairƕus), depending on sense.

Declension

Masculine i-stem
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐍃 midjungards	—
Vocative	𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳 midjungard	—
Accusative	𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳 midjungard	—
Genitive	𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌹𐍃 midjungardis	—
Dative	𐌼𐌹𐌳𐌾𐌿𐌽𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌳𐌰 midjungarda	—

See also

• 𐌼𐌰𐌽𐌰𐍃𐌴𐌸𐍃 (manasēþs, “the world (human collective existence)”)
• 𐍆𐌰𐌹𐍂𐍈𐌿𐍃 (fairƕus, “the world (the Universe)”)

Further reading

• Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986) “M57. *midjun-gards”, in A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the 3rd ed. of Feist’s dictionary, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 253
• Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910). Die gotische Bibel. Zweiter Teil: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch. Heidelberg: Carl Winter’s Universitätsbuchhandlung, p. 94